


On The Bright Side

by Higuchimon



Series: Fight To Remember [1]
Category: Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: Diversity Writing Challenge, Gen, One Character Boot Camp, Word Count Sets Boot Camp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-21
Updated: 2015-06-06
Packaged: 2018-03-31 15:46:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3983770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higuchimon/pseuds/Higuchimon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Kaiser hated optimists.  Clearly he had offended someone, because now he was trapped with the worst optimist of them all:  Daisuke.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. All Motomiya's Fault

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** On The Bright Side: Chapter 1: All Motomiya's Fault  
 **Characters:** Motomiya Daisuke, Ichijouji Ken  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,669||story: 1,669  
 **Genre:** Drama| **Rated:** PG  
 **Challenge:** Written for Diversity Writing, section G, #6, a threeshot; Written for One Character Boot Camp, Motomiya Daisuke, #31, optimistic; Written for Word Count Sets Boot Camp, #27, 5,000 words.  
 **Summary:** The Kaiser hated optimists. Clearly he had offended someone, because now he was trapped with the worst optimist of them all: Daisuke.

* * *

If there was one thing that the Digimon Kaiser could not stand – aside from annoying people downloading themselves into _his_ personal playground and trying to act as if they knew more about it than _he_ did – it was people who were _optimistic_. Always looking on the bright side of things and being cheerful and happy. 

It made him rather sick to his stomach, all things considered. Which was why right now he seriously began to wonder if his attempts to conquer this world had somehow offended a higher party – if such beings existed, which he had his doubts on anyway. 

Because of all the people that he knew to any degree whatsoever, there were none more optimistic than Motomiya Daisuke, and to add insult to injury, Motomiya had long since earned himself a permanent place at the very top of the list of people the Kaiser would not have wanted to be lost with. 

Unfortunately, that was exactly what they both were and no matter how hard he stared at his D-3 – or no matter how hard Daisuke smacked his own against his hand – he couldn't summon any of his slaves, let alone find a portal that would at least get them out of the Digital World. 

Not that he wanted to leave, but he could punt Motomiya out of it and get back to finding his base in a much quieter environment. If worst came to absolute worst, he could take the portal out and sneak back in through the computer in his own room. It would be child's play to work his way past his parents anyway. It would hardly be the first time he'd gone in and out without them being aware of it. 

“So, any luck yet?” Motomiya asked, not lifting his arms from where they rested on the back of his neck. It seemed to be one of his favorite positions. The Kaiser had other ones in mind for him and it kept his spirits up to imagine the brat on his knees in front of him forever. 

Death really was too good for him anyway. 

“If I'd had any, you would know about it by now. We'd be on our way to my fortress.” And Motomiya would be being fitted for chains instead of bearing that insufferably perky smile. 

The other only shrugged. “Hey, it's not that bad. I mean, the Digital World's only so big, right? If we don't find out way out of here, then someone'll come in to find us.” 

That got a long, drawn-out breath from the Kaiser. “What makes you think I would want anyone to find us?” Didn't the boy have a single grain of sense rolling around in his head? Just _one_? 

“Because then we wouldn't be lost here anymore?” Motomiya tilted his head, the largest expression of innocence and confusion that the Kaiser could remember ever having seen on anyone in all of his eleven years. 

“You do remember that we are _enemies_ , don't you?” What did he have to do to grind this into Motomiya's skin? 

“Of course I do. You don't think I'm stupid, do you?” 

“You don't want to know what I think about you.” For that matter, the Kaiser tried his best not to think about Motomiya in the first place. It cranked his blood pressure up way too high. Conquering and ruling a world wasn't easy in the slightest and thinking about Motomiya didn't make it any easier. 

Which meant that every time the annoying pest crept into his thoughts, the Kaiser shoved it away and ignored it. And now, when all he had were his whip, his Dark Digivice that didn't do a single thing at the moment, and this guy for company, every single one of those thoughts started to creep back into the forefront of his mind. Granted, at the moment, they were somewhat pleasant thoughts, more or less to the effect of wanting to keep Motomiya as a perfect trophy, sign of his triumph over his enemies. They were certainly far more entertaining than actually having to listen to any of the words that came out of Motomiya's mouth. 

“So, how long do you think it'll be until they do find us?” Motomiya strolled along a little farther, looking around as if they were on some kind of normal expedition. “Or until we find them. You know, whichever comes first.” 

_The first thing I do when I consolidate my rulership of this world will be to remove his ability to speak. It's not as if he'll need it._

He didn't bother giving an answer. He kept his attention on his surroundings, wanting to know if the fool's friends _did_ turn up. He would either use Motomiya as a hostage to make certain they didn't try anything like taking him prisoner, or just shove the fool at them and get out of there on his own. Whichever one seemed more likely to succeed at the time. 

A finger prodded into his side. “Hey! I'm talking to you! Aren't you listening to me?” 

“No.” The Kaiser scanned the horizon. Had that been something moving? If it was, then it stood an even chance of being either Motomiya's friends or wild Digimon. 

He would rather the wild Digimon if he had a choice in the matter. He had a few Evil Rings and Spirals hidden in the special pocket in his cloak and if he could get hold of one of them, then that would be their ticket to freedom. 

His ticket to freedom, he corrected himself. Motomiya's ticket to his proper place. 

Also his ticket to getting some peace and quiet, because Motomiya didn't know how to be quiet in the first place. But he would learn. Oh, yes, would he _learn_. 

“What're you thinking about?” Motomiya prodded him again. The Kaiser debated breaking the finger and decided it was not at all worth the howling that would doubtless ensue. Motomiya was noisy enough _now_. Give him something to actually wail about and it would never be peaceful again. 

“How much I want you to be quiet.” He didn't think there was any need for details. From the way Motomiya stared at him, perhaps a few details would be in order. If nothing else, explaining to him in great detail about the quiet and what lengths he would go to in order to get it would be amusing. 

Motomiya slowly shook his head. “Man, you aren't ever happy about anything, are you? Do you ever just sit down and try to enjoy a nice day? Maybe throw a soccer ball around?” 

“Why would I want to do that?” Did he have to explain _again_ about how conquering the world took all of his time and effort, and it certainly didn't make it any easier when people like _Motomiya_ kept trying to stop him from doing it? How was he supposed to get anything done to have free time when they kept interfering? 

Motomiya still kept staring at him, with those wide, annoying eyes. “Because it would be fun?” He said it in a way that almost made it sound as if he wanted to ask if the Kaiser were stupid. The Kaiser wasn't going to have any of that at all. 

“Motomiya, I've never tested my Rings or Spirals on humans. We are data in this world.” It went deeper than that, but he didn't expect this idiot to understand that. “Would you like to help me find out if they would work on humans?” 

He wasn't even certain if he was serious about it. But anything that could keep Motomiya quiet until this whole farce resolved itself would be worth attempting. If the threat alone managed that, then he would be satisfied. 

“No, not really.” Motomiya inched a little bit away from him. The Kaiser let himself smile. 

Though, the more he considered the matter, the more he did wonder if his tools _would_ work on humans. And here indeed was a perfect chance to find out. 

One of the many benefits of his large shades was that he could look at things and no one necessarily knew that he was looking at them. Things or people. 

He wasn't certain if there was a difference when it came to Motomiya. But he'd think about that another time. When they weren't as busy as they were trying to find a way to somewhere they recognized. 

All of this was Motomiya's fault to start with. There the Kaiser had been, peaceably taking over yet another corner of the Digital World. This one he'd needed to tend to personally, thanks to a large amount of native Digimon who'd needed to be fitted with Rings and Spirals. He wanted to investigate them to see if any of them had parts he could acquire for his most secret and special project and that was something best done in person. 

And right in the middle of his work, there had come all those so-called 'Chosen Children', tumbling out of a gateway he'd missed destroying. If he'd taken more care in doing so, then this mess wouldn't have happened. 

Not that he considered that his fault, of course. They'd been the ones to come through it. 

He hadn't finished defining all of the Digimon that he'd acquired and some were of types he'd never encountered before. It was one of those who'd struck out with the arrival of the idiots, using some kind of attack that the Kaiser didn't recognize. He'd been completely unaware of everything and he still didn't know just how long he'd been like that. 

To make matters worse, when he'd awoken, _Motomiya_ had been there, and neither of their Digivices worked at all. Nor did Motomiya's D-Terminal, which could've at least given them someone else to be in contact with. 

So now they had to find a way out of what looked like an endless valley, before whatever inhabited it decided that they were lunch. 

This was _all Motomiya's fault_. 

**To Be Continued**


	2. To Pass The Time

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** On The Bright Side: Chapter 2: To Pass The Time  
 **Characters:** Motomiya Daisuke, Ichijouji Ken  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,650||story: 3,319  
 **Genre:** Drama| **Rated:** PG  
 **Challenge:** Written for Diversity Writing, section G, #6, a threeshot; Written for One Character Boot Camp, Motomiya Daisuke, #31, optimistic; Written for Word Count Sets Boot Camp, #27, 5,000 words.  
 **Summary:** The Kaiser hated optimists. Clearly he had offended someone, because now he was trapped with the worst optimist of them all: Daisuke.

* * *

Sweet, blessed silence. The Kaiser reveled in it. He knew it wouldn't last. It _couldn't_ last. Either Motomiya would just have to flap his gums again or there would be a Digimon attack which would mean Motomiya would talk anyway or something. But he enjoyed it while it did last. 

He would use this quiet time to think up a good way to get out of this. He didn't expect any of Motomiya's allies to be useful, not where he was concerned. His own slaves likely wouldn't be of any use without him there to direct them. Wormmon was a possibility, but not one that he wanted to count on. 

The most _likely_ option, the only one he wanted to rely on, was that he would find a way out himself. That one seemed the most plausible. Motomiya's fools would not be involved in _his_ rescue save in the barest sense of letting him know which way the exit was, and that only by showing up at all. If they did, which he most certainly wasn't going to count on. 

“Have you noticed there aren't any Digimon around here?” Motomiya broke the silence. The Kaiser stifled a sigh. Always an end to the glorious peace. 

“Yes, I _have_ noticed that.” It was the first thing he'd noticed, aside from Motomiya's very unwelcome presence. “If there were any Digimon around here, I would've had one take me home already.” 

Motomiya's eyes sliced toward him. “I guess you don't mean back to Tamachi, do you?” 

“You might possibly be growing a fraction more intelligent,” the Kaiser spat the words out. “That's not my home. My home is my fortress.” And there he didn't have to do chores or homework or anything that he didn't want to do. He could hardly wait to get back there and relax. 

“Pretty sure there are some people who'd think otherwise,” Motomiya said, once more folding his hands behind his head as they kept on walking. “But, hey, what do I know?” 

“Not nearly enough.” 

The Kaiser did not expect this second bout of silence to last very long and his belief was borne out when Motomiya pulled out his D-Terminal and stared down into it before his fingers started to flash over the keyboard. 

“I know you're there, guys, you can answer me any time now,” he muttered, apparently more to himself than to the Kaiser. “What's taking so long?” 

The Kaiser could not resist the chance to prod just a little. “Are you quite certain they're not just ignoring you?” Anything that would crack the optimistic facade. Or just give him a few moments to needle Motomiya with. He wasn't very particular right now. 

“Why would they?” The other boy looked at him, honest confusion written all over his face. “What else are they going to be doing other than looking for us?” 

A thin smile touched the Kaiser's features. “Oh, almost anything, I'm certain. They could be fighting _my_ slaves. Taking down _my_ spires.” He paused, choosing his next words with deliberate care, in delicious anticipation of what would come after them. “Or perhaps they decided just to give up and go home without you.” 

For one sweet, blissful moment, Motomiya's face cracked apart. The very concept had never occurred to him. The Kaiser could read him like a book for those brief seconds, and it was a fascinating read indeed. 

Then he blinked and it was over. Gone as if it had never happened in the first place. Motomiya laughed, that annoying sound that sent claws of rage sliding along the Kaiser's back and made him itch to test out his Rings or Spirals, _just to find out_. 

“Oh, man. For a second...” He shook his head, a brilliant grin leaping into position. “No, they wouldn't do that. We didn't do it when Hikari-chan got trapped here, so why would they do it for me?” 

The Kaiser held himself away from burying his face in one hand. If he had more material to work with. If he'd been the to arrange this and knew for a fact the Chosen would not be able to come for Motomiya, then it might well have worked. If nothing else he could've enjoyed himself with the idiot's fear and fretting for a few days. 

But here, in the open sunshine, free to go where he willed to find his friends or for his friends to find him, Motomiya remained too cheerful, too dedicated to the belief that they _would_ find him. 

More and more the thought of locking him up somewhere where they couldn't, deep in the recesses of the fortress, looked like a wonderful option. He hated optimistic people anyway, he hated Motomiya first and foremost among optimistic people, and the chance to crush that kind of faith came along once in a lifetime, if that. 

The one downside of that, the one thing made him shy away from doing so, was that the Chosen likely _would_ come looking for Motomiya, no matter what. They weren't quite as annoying as he was, but they were dedicated enough, and if he read them correctly, they wouldn't want him doing anything to turn their precious pathetic leader against them. 

Very seldom did the Kaiser wish that he were wrong about things. This was one of them. There were so many _good_ points toward keeping Motomiya away from the others, starting with the blow to their teamwork and the strength of two Digimentals being taken away from that team. But all of those were overwhelmed by the bad point: that the Chosen would never give up looking for him and he would have to deal with them sooner or later. 

It really was not worth the effort. He almost wished that it was. 

Again Motomiya kept prodding at his D-Terminal. The Kaiser wished he'd taken the chance to dismantle it when he'd had the idiot captured that first time. He wished he'd taken the chance to do many things then. If he'd had _any_ idea of how annoying Motomiya would become to him in the future at that point, then he would have. 

“Hey!” Motomiya practically lit up as the D-Terminal beeped at him. “I got an answer!” 

_Oh, joy._ The Kaiser didn't so much as check his steps. Whatever they had to say didn't affect him that much. Showing up would've been different. 

“Takeru says that they can't get a fix on just where we are, but the general area isn't all that big. So if we keep walking this way -” Motomiya waved one hand around in a wide sweep that came within a hair's breadth of knocking the Kaiser's visor off of his face. “Then we should be able to get out of here.” 

“Really.” There wasn't a single shred of emotion in his voice. “And what makes him think that?” 

“I dunno, he didn't say.” Motomiya shrugged as he started to put the D-Terminal away. “Why do you ask?” 

“Because I prefer to trust information that comes from a reliable source. Precisely how reliable is he?” He had a feeling that he knew the answer. 

Motomiya rubbed the back of his head, the corner of his mouth twisting. “Well, normally I'd say probably not all that much. But right now, I think he's really reliable.” 

Well, this was interesting. A bit of a fracture he could play with? Good entertainment was hard to find. He would take it where it occurred. “And why is that?” 

Motomiya had no concept of a brain to mouth filter. “Well, see, Hikari-chan is really … really…” His cheeks flamed red. “Well, she and Takeru knew each other before, and – well, sometimes, I...” 

It wasn't a very clear picture, but the Kaiser could fill in the blanks himself. Childish antics, nothing more, and too easy for someone else to come along and fix any wounds he could cause in Motomiya's mind, just by showing up at all. 

Still, any little wound might be useful and entertainment _was_ so hard to find. “Oh, I see.” He allowed a tiny smile to play around his lips. “The one with the Patamon and the Digimental of Hope.” He scrambled around for the name. He didn't bother with them most of the time. They were enemies, not people. “Takaishi Takeru.” 

“That's right.” Motomiya let out a long sigh. “Man, I miss them.” His sadness, if such it really was, lasted only a few seconds before he perked right back up. The Kaiser found himself wanting to dig mental holes in him just for the sake of seeing them exist, no matter how long they did. “But, if we keep going, we'll be there in no time!” 

The Kaiser had his doubts on that, but he headed along anyway, for two reasons: the absolute lack of better options and it was almost impossible to slice chunks out of someone's psyche without being there with them. He could do it, of course, with the right circumstances, but that meant more time to prepare. He would consider it for the future. If they survived all of this, then Motomiya would owe him anyway, for not having strangled him while he had the chance. 

“You know, Ken -” Motomiya's words choked off, but not due to any fault of his own. The Kaiser's hand wrapped around his neck did that quite nicely. 

“You will call me _Kaiser,_ ” the Digital World monarch growled. He was not going to be called by a name he didn't want in this world, _his_ world. He'd restrained himself so far, but this was where he put his foot down. “If you so much as breathe that name toward me again, next time, I don't stop.” He tightened his grip to get his point across. “Understood?” 

The sweet look of terror in Motomiya's eyes was one the Kaiser treasured for some time to come. 

**To Be Continued**


	3. Crushing Blow

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.  
 **Fandom:** Digimon Adventure 02  
 **Title:** On The Bright Side: Chapter 3: Crushing Blow  
 **Characters:** Motomiya Daisuke, Ichijouji Ken  
 **Word Count:** chapter: 1,681||story: 5,000  
 **Genre:** Drama| **Rated:** PG  
 **Challenge:** Written for Diversity Writing, section G, #6, a threeshot; Written for One Character Boot Camp, Motomiya Daisuke, #31, optimistic; Written for Word Count Sets Boot Camp, #27, 5,000 words.  
 **Summary:** The Kaiser hated optimists. Clearly he had offended someone, because now he was trapped with the worst optimist of them all: Daisuke.

* * *

Motomiya remained silent for almost five full minutes. The Kaiser counted every single one of them. He knew it couldn't last forever, no matter how delicious that terror had been. 

For lack of any other plan, the two of them spent those five minutes walking in the direction that Takaishi had supposedly indicated. The Kaiser would've suspected some kind of deception, if it weren't Motomiya he was stuck with. The brat didn't know how to lie and even if he had, the Kaiser thought he sufficiently understood who was in charge at the moment not to. 

“I hope we can get out of here before it's too late,” Motomiya murmured. “Mom's making one of my favorites tonight.” He slid a curious glance toward the Kaiser. “Uh, what about you? What are you going to have tonight?” 

Small talk. He was actually trying to make small talk. The Kaiser restrained himself from sighing. It was not an easy task. 

“I assure you that I eat whatever that I want.” Or whatever Wormmon brought to him, and Wormmon knew enough not to serve him anything that he'd made a point of disliking. 

He averted his gaze from Motomiya altogether. They were too close to what he hoped was getting out of here to waste time on idle chit-chat. Instead, he kept a watch on the surroundings. No Digimon had yet revealed themselves, which made the Kaiser worry just a little more. It wasn't natural. This was the Digital World. Digimon were supposed to be _everywhere_. 

In between breaths, everything around them changed. Without any warning, they now stood in a broad expanse of _nothing_. Gray above and around, stretching to every side. 

“Whoa...” Motomiya whirled around, eyes wide. “Did you do this?” 

“Not at all.” The Kaiser's hand dipped inside of his cloak, pulling out one of his Spirals. Whatever Digimon was responsible, he would have it on its knees the moment it showed itself. 

**Cease.**

With the utterance of a word, the Kaiser found that he couldn't move a single muscle. He could breathe. His heart beat, his eyes blinked. But no matter how much he strained and strove, nothing else would move. From the corner of one eye, he saw Motomiya in the same predicament. He ached to learn how this was done; it would make everything so much _easier_. 

“Who are you?” He could speak, at least. 

**You dared attack a place that is under my protection. This is your punishment. You will leave here only when I am satisfied you have learned your lesson.**

The Kaiser snarled, fighting harder to regain control of his limbs. “What worse punishment could there be than being stuck with him all day?” 

“You know, I'm pretty sure that's my line,” Motomiya replied. The Kaiser couldn't tell if he were fighting against the grip on them or not. “But I don't know why you're punishing _me_. I just came to stop him!” 

Of course, blame the person who'd only done exactly what he was meant to do. That was precisely what he expected of Motomiya. He cast about in search of somewhere to throw a baleful glance. He would've crossed his arms over his chest and thrown his chin out, just to convey how annoyed he was by all of this, if he were allowed to move. 

“What do you mean by 'learning our lesson'?” He hadn't just left his home, he'd left school as well. There wasn't anything he could learn there that he didn't already know and he doubted this was any different. The fact someone wished him to think differently did not please him at all. 

**That entering lands which are not yours without permission is rude and uncalled for, Digimon Kaiser. You have done this time and time again, trampling over everyone in your path. It is not the Chosen Child of Courage and Friendship who needs to learn his lesson: it is you and only you.**

“Hey, we're trying!” Motomiya declared. “It just takes a while. He's got a lot of Digimon he uses on us.” 

**I am well aware of that, Chosen Child Motomiya Daisuke. You will be released, for this does not affect you. What happens to the Digimon Kaiser will be because of his own choices and decisions. You need not concern yourself about him.**

“Make sense when you talk!” The Kaiser had enough of this already. “What do you think you're going to do to me?” 

He wanted to find out who this was. He hadn't made up his mind on if he would shred them alive or use his Spiral to turn them into his slave. He didn't _care_ , so long as he ended up out of this place. 

“Hey, calm down! They already said you just needed to learn to ask before you come into a place, that's all. That's not so hard, is it?” Motomiya said. The Kaiser still didn't know if his tools would enslave humans and the temptation to find out burned in his fingertips. 

“Why would I ask? I'm the _Digimon Kaiser_!” He ruled this entire world and no one, especially not a disembodied voice or Motomiya Daisuke, was going to tell him otherwise. 

**You are not entitled to anything, Ichijouji Ken.** The voice bit the words off in cold contempt. **And you will learn that.**

The Kaiser snarled, straining until he felt certain his bones would break in his fury. “Release me _at once_!” 

**As you wish. But first, you will listen and you will learn.**

He didn't have a choice on listening. But the Kaiser refused to learn a thing that this maddening entity chose to teach. 

**You will awaken. You will know nothing of yourself or where you are. You must _earn_ those memories back, and each memory will cost you something else. You alone will decide if it is worth the cost. If you choose to cast the memory aside, it will be gone forever.**

Again he shook his head. “You can't do this to me!” No one could! This was his world, his playground, his private personal garden to do anything that he wanted with and he would not let someone else use _him_ like a toy! 

**How many Digimon told you that? Begged you to spare them, their families, the ones they care about? And how many of them did you listen to?**

The Kaiser did not need to answer. He knew it. Motomiya knew it. And clearly this strange maddening entity knew it as well. 

None of them. Not once. Not ever. 

“Hey, hold on a second!” Motomiya shouted. The Kaiser wished he would be quiet. Wasn't it enough that this was happening and Motomiya got to watch it all? Couldn't he just rejoice in peace? “If you're going to do that to Ken, then I want you to do it to me too!” 

In all of his life, the Kaiser hadn't heard anything so ridiculous. He could somewhat understand the concept of some amazingly powerful Digimon wanting to punish him – though why that would exist in his play world he didn't know – but to have someone want to _share_ that punishment? That made no sense at all. 

“Motomiya, just shut up.” He spat the words out like hard pebbles. “Your idiocy is only going to make everything more difficult.” He would find a way to work through all of this somehow and get back to where he belonged. It didn't matter what anyone else said or thought about it. He knew the truth. 

**Do you mean this, Motomiya Daisuke? To give up your memories and have only a slim chance to regain them all? To risk your life and so much more, for someone who planned to keep you as a pet and a trophy of his victory, should the unthinkable happen and he win?**

“How did you know that?” The Kaiser growled. Didn't he have a single secret from this being, whoever they were? 

No answer came to that. But Motomiya held his head up high and stared at the air. 

“Of course I mean it. If he's wandering around all alone, something's probably going to end up eating him. That's not right. Doesn't matter what he's done. Or what he planned to do.” Though from the way Motomiya kept looking out of the corner of his eyes at him, the Kaiser doubted he actually meant that. 

**Very well, then. I wish you the best of luck, Motomiya Daisuke. And as for you, Ichijouji Ken: learn quickly if you would learn at all.**

A thousand words snarled deep within the Kaiser's throat but he had no chance to say any of them before bright blue light eclipsed everything. He tried to cling to anything he could, be it his feet or his rapidly emptying mind, but nothing wished to stay and everything fell away from him. 

He opened his eyes. Above him gleamed a sky of deep, amazing blue, such as he could not remember seeing at all before. 

It took him a moment to realize that he couldn't remember seeing anything at all before. He couldn't remember _anything_. 

He was on his feet in a moment, his eyes wide as he searched around for any clue as to who he was and what was going on. 

A voice came from not that far away and he stared in that direction, heart pounding wild in his chest. “Who's there?” 

A head of reddish brown hair slowly hove itself into view. The head turned, revealing cinnamon brown eyes. “Uh… I don't know. Who are you?” 

He drew in a long breath. He knew nothing else, but already tension flared behind his eyes. He knew for a fact that he didn't like the words he was about to say. “I don't know.” 

“Well, cheer up!” The other bounced to his feet and grinned. “Things aren't all bad, are they?” 

He could not help but stare. “What?” He wasn't certain of why, but he thought he disliked optimists. This was clearly an optimist. 

What on Earth could he have done to deserve this? 

**The End... of the beginning. Or something like that anyway.**

**Note:** There will be a sequel one day. I did not plan for this. But it refused to write any other way.


End file.
